Copyright: Jan Wayne Fields
Here we are once more to show our creativity. Once again we’re asked to compose original stories for the Friday Fictioneers’ weekly challenge. This challenge is to write a story with no more than 100 words. It’s supposed to include a beginning, middle, end, and follow the picture prompt supplied for the week. The gracious and talented author and artist, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the host for the challenge. The prompt this week was supplied by Rochelle’s husband. Jan Wayne Fields. Thanks Jan.
http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/15-august-2014/
Genre: Horror Fiction
Word Count: 100 Words
THE QUILL By P.S. Joshi
People laughed at Connie still writing with a quill. She’d found it in the drawer of her great-great grandfather’s desk, behind a secret panel. It still looked brand new despite its age.
Connie had heard numerous rumors about this ancestor, all unpleasant. People had feared him in his lifetime. No one now knew why, but the fear had spread. One faithful servant was paid well to keep secrets.
People often saw the ancestor by a window, happily writing.
Connie sat and took out ancient, yellowed parchment she’d found and began to write.
“Who dies now?” the quill wrote in blood.
Haha! Great! Really enjoyed the ending – you did that very well!
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Thanks Hamish. I’m glad you liked the story, and thanks for the encouragement. 🙂 —Susan
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Dear Susan.
I’d say there’s some truth to those rumors. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle. I’m glad you liked the story. Yep, those rumors are true, and the killer quill isn’t done yet. Thanks to you and your husband for the lovely photo. 🙂 —Susan
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Killer quill! I’d head down the stationers for a ball point pen, smartish. Nicely done Susan.
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Every good horror makes us scream at the main character: Don’t go there! Put that down! Don’t stick your hand there! You captured that so well in your story, like a true master of horror. Loved it.
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And who’s blood I might ask.. Burn that quill… you really made me shudder at that blood-line.. Thank you..
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Scary number. And right now my ball pen is eyeing me askance.
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I guess the quill uses the ink supply from the writer’s veins? If only it didn’t kill !
Lovely story Susan !
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Immense possibilities here. Enjoyed the twist. Great story.
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OH!!!! Nice little twist, that. Time to put the quill back in its secret compartment.
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One of your best stories yet, nice one.
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Thanks Paul. I’m glad you liked the story. Thanks for the encouragement. 🙂 —Susan
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Great twist 🙂
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Thanks Helen. I’m glad you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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quite a surprise ending. put the chill in me.
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Thanks Plaridel. I’m glad you liked the story, and it had the desired atmosphere. 🙂 —Susan
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So, is the pen controlling her or working on its own? Pretty freaky stuff. 🙂
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Thanks David. I think the quill is starting to control her, or at least trying to. I’m glad you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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Really scary! I don’t want to be close by Connie.
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Thanks Elizabeth. I think it would be wise not to get too close to her. 🙂 —Susan
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Know what? I’m selling that desk and that quill! I don’t even care what I get for it! Now that’s ghoulish; what’s next?
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Thanks Perry. You can sell the desk, but I’d destroy the quill. It’s bloodthirsty. Fire might do it, but don’t keep the ashes around. 🙂 —Susan
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Yeeks, a possessed quill! Now Connie has the power, should she decide to use it…
Great ghostly story!
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I love a twist ending. Especially when I don’t see it coming! Well done, Susan!
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Nice job setting the mood!
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Thanks J.K. I’m glad I accomplished setting a good mood, and that you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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Great story concept, I love a nice bit of horror. You just can’t go wrong with a bit of old yellowed parchment.
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ha-ha absolutely loved this 🙂 Well done!!
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Thanks Liz. I’m really glad you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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Great story, Susan. I guess there’s no need for an ink well when you have an endless supply of blood. Spooky.
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“Endless supply of blood.” Funny!
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Susan this was so enjoyable, a great take on the prompt. Well done.
Dee
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Wonderfully creepy.
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Susan,
I guess that’s one mystery solved–for our heroine anyway. Time will tell if she truly is a heroine, won’t it?
All my best,
Marie Gail
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Oh! I could feel the chills!! Well done 🙂 What an evocative piece.
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Loved the ending. Wondering how many great writers it has taken all the way along! Very nicely written.
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Oh yikes, Susan! This was great. Just took my imagination all sorts of places.
Ellespeth
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Love the use of the prompt here. People seeing the ancestor through the window – it left me wondering…had she left the desk in place, and people were actually seeing her ancestor transposed over her as she wrote? great job!
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Thanks Grace. It was my intention to describe what the rumors in the past about her ancestor had included. This was so the reader would know some of what had been going on in the past. She might have very well left the desk in the same place. No one would have known about the evil quill with the possible exception of the ancestor’s one servant who’d been payed to keep his mouth shut about it. I’m glad you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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I wonder who died 🙂
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Ooo..you got me with that last line; love it!
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Eek! Susan, that last line is chillingly great! I like the history and story, but that line is a kicker for sure.
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Ewww! Like the mystery and spookiness of this take on the prompt. A quill that writes in blood sounds like an awesome character in a horror story.
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Spooky! The quill was waiting for someone else to come along after great-great grandfather then. Why use an ink pot when blood will do?
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chilling ending! great use of the quill 🙂
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You have a winner here! Got me and I love the creepy! Wow, this story is awesome – you have a great mind! Nan 🙂
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gah, throw down the pen and stomp on it…that’s what i would do. killer story, Susan. 🙂
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Sadly, there have been people in my life that I’ve disliked enough that I thought I would appreciate having such a quill. Perhaps in the long run I would have regretted it. Being bullied makes a person wish such things as voodoo were real.
Thank you for visiting The Netherworld.
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Thanks Thaliatia. I’ve found that actually it’s better to just leave those types of people behind me and find people it benefits me to know and have as friends. If we’re nasty to someone it kind of ties us emotionally to them. They’re not worth spending our thoughts on. Not everyone is going to like us, and it often has nothing to do with us. They have their own problems. Leave them to their problems and move on. If they are in our own family, that’s unfortunate, but there’s usually nothing we can do to change them. If it becomes too bad, seek help from a third party who is qualified to give that help and/or advice.
I find the other stories very interesting and creative. 🙂 —Susan
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Great write and build to a perfect end. Loved it!
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When I started reading your post and saw “Horror fiction” as the genre I thought “hmm fairly tricky to provoke a feeling of horror in only 100 words,” but this really succeeds because the horrific element is so sudden and absolute that it needs no further explanation.
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Chilling!
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Thanks Colline. I’m glad I created the right atmosphere, and that you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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And what else with the quil write? I like the way you turned the normal supernatural at the end. Well done.
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Wow. Is she like, under the control of the previous owner of the quill? I wonder who dies now? Maybe she dies, or maybe that old boyfriend who only took her out on a dare. Or that nasty old English teacher who kept her after school….Okay, I’m getting carried away. Nice ending. Good story when readers ask about a character as though she really exists. Well done. May she’s possessed? Lucy
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I wonder …
Does the pen control her or will she place it back in the secret panel and permanently seal it closed.
Will it call to her late in the night … in her dreams … will she answer?
Creepy.
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I especially liked your focus on the quill: it’s not central to the picture, but after this story, I won’t be able to avoid looking at it.
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Thanks Kestrel. Well that’s what those prompts are all about isn’t it. It’s great you can pick out some item in them and make it the central theme of your story. That’s of course why we can get so many stories from one prompt. It’s great fun. 🙂 —Susan
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wow..that was definitely intriguing as well as spooky!
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Thanks Uma. I’m glad I was able to create a good atmosphere, and that you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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Shivery ending. I like a catchy one-liner.
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Thanks Kirizar. I glad I created the right atmosphere, and that you liked the story. 🙂 —Susan
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🙂
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